Went up this morning to have a go at ride and lead with the NNP. Got her and Gandalf out of the field, Chester neighed a bit at being left behind but obviously wasn't distressed enough to attempt to come with us!
Got Gandalf saddled, Seraphina was having a good look round at everything but didn't seem too concerned, when the neighbour's hunting dogs arrived on the scene at full speed making this dreadful baying noise......she tried to get away, came to the end of the rope, decided to go and hide behind Gandalf instead......thetn I could see her thinking about it, G is so used to them he didn't turn a hair and she rapidly came to the conclusion that they weren't going to eat her.
So we went up to the carriere marked out in my friend Marianne's field, I thought it'd be nice and quiet up there to do a bit of practise, all went well, she wan't bothered by the plastic (I have infected Marianne, she's bringing all sorts of potentially scary stuff up for her horses to look at too!), had a sniff at it and at the plastic bidons in there.
We did a couple of laps of the carriere then suddenly the most enormous salvage truck arrives, presumably to remove some of the junkyard Marianne's neighbour has accumulated in true French style.
Gandalf said "am I bovvered?" and Seraphina again followed his lead. So I rode them past the truck (and the junkyard!) and decided we'd go out for a little walk. Cars, no problem, nor was a man carrying a child on his shoulders (I once had a dog that freaked out at that "A man with two heads!! Help!!"), the only things that occasioned any real concern were the dreaded cattle.....
They started moving towards us, Seraphina actually snorted, just like Maverick does when he sees a donkey, shortly before he bogs off, but they got to the fence and could come no further. So we just stood and watched them for a bit til she relaxed a little, munched a bit of the verge, then we went home.
So a very good first outing with Uncle Gandalf, just goes to show that like Mark Rashid says, "the best teachers aren't always those on two legs"
And when we got back, Ches wasn't even pacing around by the gate, didn't notice us til we were right on top of him, I am very impressed with his confidence these days, what a star!
